Encounter with the Unknown
As we wanted to be as quick as possible, we decided that I should carry Daniela and run while using Legs of the God Wolf . It was Daniela who suggested this . I rolled up my pants so they wouldn’t get ruined . I also took my boots off just in case . They hadn’t been damaged the last time I did this, but I was cautious . Besides, my feet weren’t touching the ground, so it didn’t matter if I wore anything or not .
“This is rather nice . It is more stable than the carriage . ”
“But I’m not used to these legs yet . You don’t know how on edge I am . ”
“As long as you do not drop me . ”
And so I ran very carefully .
It had recently come to my attention that my eyes turned yellow while using Night Eyes . It was a skill that allowed me to run through the night even if there was no light, but I was human and I liked to sleep . Daniela was very understanding of this, and so descended to the ground where we would set up camp .
Once I had a fire, I was able to deactivate the skill . The fire offered enough light for me to see clearly . Now, we just had to set up the tent . Would it be the one I bought or the one Daniela bought?
“Which one do you think would be easier?”
“Hmm… Probably mine…”
You just stabbed a pole into the ground and pulled the tarp out . Not that the dome one looked too complicated either . You just tied the cloth along the frame and it was finished . The frame was made of iron and quite heavy, but that was fine, since we carried it in the hollow bag . You could also take the frame apart, which was neat . It showed how advanced they were in the imperial capital .
Well, we were in a hurry today, so we’d go with the easiest one!
“…There . It’s done . Pretty nice inside as well . ”
“Hmm…yes, this is quite good . ”
We relied on the bonfire for light as we looked inside . I tried walking around the pole and it didn’t feel cramped at all . The ventilation was great as well . I had made the right choice with this one .
“Alright . Let’s eat then . ”
“I have been waiting for you to say that . ”
I handed Daniela some fried noodles from the bag . We set the food on a low table and then I filled two cups with water .
“Here you go . ”
“Thank you . ”
“Let’s eat . ”
“Yes . ”
Our second day in the capital ended with us eating outside . And tomorrow, I would run to the mountain .
We passed the night peacefull without any attacks . And in the morning, I ran once again . I had been quite tired since yesterday, and so I had slept well after my watch . Daniela looked tired as well . She also slept well . It was a deep, dreamless sleep that we needed in order to blow away our fatigue .
The land zoomed passed us as we rushed towards our destination . The east mountain was clearly visible now that it was bright . However, as we were facing the sun, it was almost blinding . The mountain…was about as high as Alessa . It was much higher than the mountain where I reunited with Daniela after finding the automated doll . Still, there was something strange about it . Its shape . The peek was flat .
“What an interesting shape . ”
Daniela muttered against my chest .
“I’ve seen something like it back in my world . It was called the ‘Table Mountain . ”
The soil was soft, and so rain and wind had carved it away, resulting in that shape . …Or so I remember hearing on TV .
“So you are saying that it is prone to crumbling?”
“I doubt either of us could do it . But maybe a wind dragon’s breath could . ”
“Hmm… I would prefer to kill it without wrecking the terrain . ”
“That seems very unlikely, Master Daniela . ”
“I said it, because I believe in you, Asagi . ”
She said with a grin . If Master Daniela ordered it, then I would have to do it .
However, I thought it was important that we gain experience fighting a dragon . Terrains change with time . And even if there was a way to kill it instantly, doing so would not result in much growth for us . Not that I meant to toy with it .
“It is important to always have a method of attack . ”
“Yeah . That’s why I want to gain experience defending myself . ”
I had half-heartedly created Niflheim recently and had specialized in the offense . But I wanted to have a method of attack no matter what, have other options . I didn’t want to end up dying one day because there was nothing left that I could do…
“My wind and earth and your ice and water . If we could use them to seal the dragon’s attacks, then we would be unstoppable . ”
“We might face something much stronger one day . But I don’t want to die before that happens . ”
“Good . We can think about the rest as we walk . I had been wary about this, but it appears that no other Adventurers or soldiers are here . So we can slow down the pace a little . ”
“Got it . Can you get my shoes?”
“Leave it to me . ”
Daniela had dropped down first and now took the accel panther boots out of my bag . I had been wearing these for a long time now… The store that sold them was horrible, but the quality was good . These panthers were frighteningly fast, and the boots gave me a nice AGI boost .
As we talked about how we would use our magic, Presence Detection suddenly caught something .
While our stats were now the same, Daniela still seemed to catch things just a second before I did . Perhaps it was due to experience .
It was a giant lizard . According to Daniela, it was known as a ‘sand lizard . ’
They lived in deserts and bit people with their venomous fangs . They apparently came up the waist of the average man .
However, we hadn’t been moving towards it . And it didn’t attack without being provoked .
“It must be a goblin . ”
Yes, there were something else here . They were fighting . Well, in such a fight, the sand lizard would likely win… There was no beating poison .
“…Hmmm . ”
“Oh?”
One of them was fading . The sand lizard .
“It beat the poison?”
“Are there goblins that are immune?”
“…It is not impossible . I had once heard a rumor of a goblin who used poison and was also resistant to it . There are also very small goblins known as poison goblins . Perhaps…”
“Wait . It’s coming towards us . ”
For some reason, the goblin presence was moving in our direction . I took out my spear and Daniela readied her bow .
“We should split up . ”
“Alright . I’ll use Presence Block and try and catch it from the back . You’d be able to see me even if I was hiding, right?”
“Of course . Yes, we will go with that . ”
We planned quickly and then moved into action . I activated Presence Block with a thought and then made a wide circle around the goblin . From what I could tell, it was still moving straight towards Daniela, so it must not have noticed me .
I started to move faster once I was behind it . At this rate, I should be able to take its back the moment it encountered Daniela .
It moved through the grass towards her . Now it was going faster . It must have seen her . Very hostile… I had assumed a user of poison would be sneaky, but perhaps it had made this one confident .
“!?”
I nearly screamed in surprise . An arrow had come flying . She nearly killed me!! That idiot!!
…No, surely Daniela wouldn’t miss her target?
And she knew where I was… Perhaps it was a signal for me to hurry?
I didn’t know . But something felt wrong . And so I rushed towards Daniela, all the while sending ice magic into the spear . As a precaution, Legs of the Forest Wolf would sit this one out .